Lawler Easily Defeats Jones to Win Re-election in 17th Congressional District
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Republican Congressman Mike Lawler resoundingly defeated Democratic challenger Mondaire Jones Tuesday night to earn a second term to the House of Representatives’ 17th Congressional District.
Lawler declared victory at his headquarters in New City, Rockland County shortly after 11 p.m., leading comfortably from the moment vote totals started streaming in and turning what many had though would be tight race into a relatively early evening.
Unofficially, Lawler led Jones by 16 percentage points, 150,795-108,453, with about 94 percent of the vote counted, according to tallies after midnight. Virtually, all of the remaining votes went to controversial Working Families Party candidate Anthony Frascone. Despite Lawler’s commanding lead, the race had not yet been officially called when he spoke to supporters.
Lawler said he won the district by historic margins because of his unwavering commitment to fight for constituents and address the key issues that families care about.
“Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, it doesn’t matter, folks. We all want a few basic things in life,” Lawler said. “We want a good-paying job to provide for our families, we want a quality education for our children. We want access to housing and health care and we want to live in safe neighborhoods. That is what this election is about, that is why we won by such a big margin.”
Jones, who was looking to return to Congress two years after he opted not to challenge fellow Democratic incumbents Sean Patrick Maloney or Jamaal Bowman after redistricting, lost a crowded primary in a district in New York City in 2022, but looked to return to the Hudson Valley.
However, he underperformed, and was narrowly trailing by 143 votes in Westchester County, which is the district’s Democratic stronghold, with 81 percent of the precincts reporting. Meanwhile, Democrats in other House races in New York were performing strongly, defeating at least two Republican incumbents in the House and in contention to pick off a third seat.
Jones had been expected to join Democrats at their Westchester headquarters in White Plains Tuesday evening but never appeared.
Speaking to his supporters, Lawler said he was proud to have been rated the fourth most bipartisan member of the current Congress. He said he will work with everyone to fight to improve people’s lives.
“I am fully committed to doing the work that you have elected me to do,” Lawler said to the boisterous crowd at his headquarters. “We have an affordability crisis, we have a crisis at the southern border, we have international crises around the globe, and here in New York, we have seen disastrous consequences from one-party rule.”
Lawler pledged to continuing to put the nation and the community first.
“I want to thank you for trusting me to represent you and your family,” he said. “Together, we will make the Hudson Valley a better, safer and more prosperous place for everyone.”
Latimer Coasts to Victory
Westchester County Executive George Latimer easily won election in the 16th Congressional District, defeating Republican and former Scarsdale mayor Miriam Levitt Flisser. According to unofficial Board of Elections tallies, Latimer captured nearly 70 percent of the vote, leading 86,576-37,431.
He defeated outgoing incumbent Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman in a bruising primary in June.
Latimer has been county executive for the past seven years.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
